New Beginnings
by daTomoT
Summary: This is a continuation of Chell's story after she leaves Aperture Facilities, as I couldn't leave it where VALVe left it. That's where I pick up off. May be spoilers to Portal / 2 storylines.
1. New Beginnings

**This is my first story (that I am uploading to FF). Upon finishing Portal 2; like so many others, I wanted more. Obviously more hasn't come yet, and likely won't come until VALVe release a Portal 3 (if they ever do). Therefore, I decided I would create more. For myself, for others, for the pleasure of creating a future for Chell, whom I confess myself connected to. Her story doesn't end in a Wheat field! Disclaimer: VALVe owns the characters, most of the props and some of the settings. The story, is my own.**

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**A New Purpose**

She looked out. The field of wheat stretched out far in all directions. It reached a hedge, behind which was another wheat field. Further on, the landscape rolled up into green hills, covered in green trees. They were swaying in the breeze. The same breeze was brushing her face. This was a familiar sensation, but she knew it had been a long time since she had felt it. So much had happened.

No.

She wouldn't think of that. Not for now. In the other direction, the wheat fields gave way to the crumbling ruins of a town. There wasn't much there really. It might've equated to a few buildings, but no more. Directly behind her was a shack. A warning notice denoted the shack as electrical, and that trespassing inside was prohibited. There were a few rusted pieces of metal next to the shack. Junk, standing around being useless.

She began to do a basic account of the facts of her life. She would move on from there.

"My name is Chell.

Surname.. Redacted

I am.."

How old was she? It wasn't going so well. Perhaps there weren't many basic facts for her. Perhaps it was easier to face the larger issues.

"My name is Chell.

I have just been released from the Aperture Science Testing Facility.

I have escaped the facility before, but I was brought back into the Facility.

I escaped by working alongside the GLaDOS machine to destroy the Personality Sphere Wheatley, who took over the facility.

Wheatley is now in space along with one of the Corrupted Cores I used to transfer him.

I was also in space, but I was saved by the GLaDOS machine.

Prior to my previous escape, the GLaDOS machine simply tried to kill me.

During it's time trapped in a Potato Battery, the GLaDOS machine attempted to form bonds with me, as we had a common enemy.

The GLaDOS machine discovered that the personality of Caroline was installed within her system, and had been acting as part of her.

Caroline was the assistant and substitute for Cave Johnson, CEO of Aperture Science.

After deleting Caroline's influence, the GLaDOS machine willingly released me.

A choir of turrets sang a song on my departure.

The Companion Cube I was forced to incinerate prior to my previous escape was returned to me.

This may have been a form of compassion."

The list was quite extensive. However, it was the very basic facts that she needed at that moment. At that moment, she had a Companion Cube, and the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Did she own the equipment? She had been given it in order to complete tests for the GLaDOS machine. For GLaDOS. For Her. The last instruction she had been given by Her was "Just go". This meant that it was unlikely she would be facing any more tests. However, the equipment had not been removed from her person. The Companion Cube had been outright given to her.

This posed a problem. Whilst she had not enjoyed the tests, having to defeat GLaDOS, Wheatley or being at all a part of Aperture Science, she had had purpose there. The stubborn streak in Chell had reacted strongly to her treatment, and had motivated her to complete every test and overcome every challenge. However, her last instruction – "Just go" was open ended. Chell had nothing to do. She was in a Wheat Field. This was not a test.

She had done so much, but it did not mean anything to anybody. She did not even know what year it was. How long had she been held in stasis? Did Aperture Science exist anymore? What about Black Mesa? Humanity entirely? Chell had no evidence to support or deny any of these questions. Therefore, Chell formulated three points. The only three points that mattered now.

Stay alive.

Gain purpose.

Find the answers.

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**In case you were wondering, it isn't clear at the end of Portal 2 whether Chell still has the Portal Device. For the purpose of this story, I have given her it as it is something she is very connected to. Please let me know what you think of my style, and the introduction to the story. I will update as regularly as possible. Thank you.**

**~daT.**


	2. Pathfinding

******I know, this is a very quick upload, but I have a relatively free evening tonight and I want to set Chell up to go places before I actually start writing her story. Thank you, and please review.**

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**Pathfinding**

Having her three points, Chell felt as though she was now facing another test. The most difficult test of her life. This test chamber had no walls, success wasn't as simple as using test elements to satisfy the opening of a door. Nor was it using inter-dimensional portals to find her way through a facility in order to escape. There was three hundred and sixty degrees of direction for Chell to choose from, and choice wasn't something she was familiar with. Since becoming a test subject, she had been told where to go by people who had control over every aspect of her life. She had resented it, but she hadn't had a choice.

Chell turned, and sank down next to the Companion Cube. It's familiar pink hearts looked out at her. The pastel tones were dulled and scarred by the hideous black burn marks. Burns that Chell had inflicted. The cube glared at Chell. It was blaming her for harming it. Why would she do such a thing? The cube had never stabbed her. Sure, it hadn't spoken to her either, but it had helped her solve the tests. It had been a friend to her. A companion.

All of these thoughts were barraging through Chell's mind, and the Companion Cube was still glaring accusingly at her. She couldn't deal with it, nobody had made her feel guilt since before she became a Test Subject.

"I had no choice" she wanted to scream. She didn't though. Chell had not uttered a word to anyone, not even herself, since 'before'.

Chell's mind seized on the word 'before'. Her whole life had been split into two; before, and after. Before she became a Test Subject, and after the final escape. The after was just starting. She hadn't been out of the Facility for more than a few hours. Before and after. Pre and post. Then and now. Past and present. So many contrasts flashed through Chell's mind.

She was burning up under the weight of all these thoughts flashing through her head. Logic was her forte. Chell would happier be solving a test chamber than be trying to bend her mind around the issues ricocheting around her skull. That was philosophical! Best left to people with white hair, no fashion sense and big glasses.

A memory flashed through her mind.

"_The Doctors said I'm insecure, Chelly."_

"_But I don't understand, you look healthy? What isn't secured?"_

"_No, it means my head isn't right. Y'know?"_

Now she knew. Insecure. Chell didn't feel secure at all right now. Her head 'wasn't right'. It was scary – she didn't know how to deal with the way the Companion Cube was staring at her. It was far worse than anything GLaDOS or Wheatley had thrown at her. Tests were easy. Tests were safe (relatively). Tests were comfortable. Chell's comfort zone lay back into the Facility, into testing. For science.

No. Chell had three things she needed to do. Musing over how to make things up with the Companion Cube wouldn't help that. Chell patted the top of the cube. A silent apology. The circular plate on which the heart resided gave a little. Chell pushed it further, and a side of the cube lowered down to the floor on hinges.

Inside the cube, was a letter, in an envelope with a wax seal. It depicted, in blue wax, a segmented circle that matched the symbol on her clothing. Aperture science.

The letter inside read only:

Cara, bel, Cara mia,

Bella bambina,

Oh Chell,

Que lastima,

Que lastima,

Deh! Cara mia,

Addio.

Mia bambina,

Cara,

Perche non passi

Lontana, deh

Si lontana

Da scienza.

Cara, cara

Mia bambina,

Ah mia bel,

Ah mia cara,

La bambina,

Oh cara,

Cara mia…

My last gift.

Behind the letter were packets of food. Food that Chell would need now she was away from the self sufficiency of the Facility. There was no promise of food from anything Chell could see, and she wasn't even sure where she was going.

There were three things she did know. She would stay alive. She would gain purpose. She would find the answers to her questions. Who was she? She would find out. The Companion Cube would help her. It would be there for her, and be her friend. Together, along with a letter of strange lilting words, they would find the way. Somehow.

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**Reviews are golden. Just saying! ;)**

**~daT.**


	3. Moving Forward

** This chapter is about twice as long in length as the previous two, as I wanted to shatter the picture of Chell simply sticking around the shack. She's determined, stubborn, someone that wants to get something done. Whilst I think it was definitely necessary to establish Chell's character without the distraction of following the story, nobody wants three chapters on someone arguing with a Cube! Anyway, thank you very much to all of you who have reviewed and added the story to your favourites. If you have written stories yourselves, I'm sure you'll know how great it is to read those emails coming through. Thanks**

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******Moving Forward**

By the time Chell had realigned her thoughts with her goals, the sun was beginning to touch the tops of the hills, cloud was filling the sky and being painted beautiful reds, golds and yellows. It was so silent. The Companion Cube was still not talking to her – not that it ever had – there was no message telling her that she should feel an emotional response to the scene, nor the birds that GLaDOS had so hated. It was wrong. Chell played it through in her head.

"_This is a sunset. If you had enough intelligence to sustain an emotional response, you would feel a sense of elation. However, you do not have the capacity to understand such a feeling. This next test involves.."_

That's what should be happening. It was wrong without the disembodied voice of GLaDOS relentlessly insulting every part of her being. There was no logical solution to the test that was coming.

By this time, the only remnants of the sunset that had plunged her into her emotionless wonderings were the fragments of light trapped in the clouds. Like memories, so beautiful, yet so soon chased away by the darkness of the night. The night was truly underway now, so there was no point in Chell making any move now. Best not to move too soon anyway. She might be summoned back into the Facility, maybe she was needed there.. Or not. Chell did not want to move away from the shack that represented the majority of her life so far, and she didn't even know how long that was.

The air was still warm, the golden wheat holding in the heat around the shack. Taking the companion cube, Chell tried the door of the shack again. It opened easily enough, but it was empty. There was no evidence of the lift that had left her here. There was a chair in the corner, along with a small table. Chell put the Companion Cube on the chair, and propped herself against the wall next to it. There was no point in staying awake. She took the cube off of the chair, slid it under the table and curled up around it. It seemed almost strange, the need for sleep. It hadn't occurred to her at all in the Facility. Nor had hunger, or thirst. Nothing mattered in there. It was blissful.

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Chell woke with the first rays of the sun. GLaDOS had so often mocked her, telling her of the dawn chorus, and sunrises. There was nothing. The sun had risen, but no birds had heralded it. Sleeping was not like being in stasis, Chell woke up sore and stiff. Her toned muscles were cramped and painful. Automatically, Chell looked for the Portal Gun. It had kept her alive, she felt even less secure without it. It was next to her. Strange, that the gift from her antagonists was the most important thing to her.

The world outside the shack was unchanged. The wheat shone under the sun. The trees on the hilltop swayed in the breeze. The rubble of the town stood forlornly, away beyond the golden crop. It was her fault. During her first escape, she had violently destroyed a large portion of the Aperture Facility, which had exploded. Had any innocent people died of her selfish actions? Did her need to escape justify the ruination of the lives of those people? It was a question, and Chell wanted answers. She looked at the shack. It was only a cobbled wood lean-to, but it represented the gateway to the whole of her life. Chell turned away. That life was gone. GLaDOS left to test on those two robots. She didn't care anymore. She never had done – Caroline had, and she'd been deleted.

Chell took the Portal Gun, used it's grasp to pick up the Companion Cube, and set off towards the ruins. A large metal wall covered her view of most of the town – perhaps there was a thriving existence behind that wall. She would find out.

Pushing through the lush wheat was not difficult, but Chell disliked it. The fragile golden stems snapped at the weakest brush, and fell in a path behind her. She was forging a trail of destruction through the field. Much like the rest of her life she thought. "But it isn't my fault" she thought; more to the Companion Cube than to herself. She didn't know the answer, so she might as well ask her only friend.

Coming to the edge of the crop, Chell met a brown earthen path. The soil was packed solidly, but not cracked in the heat. A thick hedge divided her from the next field, beyond which the ruins lay. Directly behind the hedge was another path. Chell could barely see this path through the torny thorns of the hedge, but she needed to get there. Going through, or over the hedge was not an option. The part of Chell's brain that had solved countless tests whirred into action, and she looked down to the device in her hand. She could not imagine using it outside of the Facility, but there was no reason it would not work – the ground was a flat surface after all.

Chell put the cube down on the floor, releasing it from the pull of the gun. Or had Mr. Johnson stated that only moon rock conducted Portals? Chell fired the gun.

It worked. How, she did not know, but the eerie blue Portal opened onto the dirt floor, and for a fraction of a second, Chell glimpsed the Facility through the orange counterpart – or was that just wishful thinking? The Companion Cube held no answers. The shifting blue oval looked wrong, out of place in the beautiful countryside. Quickly, Chell fired the alternate portal through a hole in the hedge, threw the Cube through the portal at her feet. She jumped in after it, and felt a jolt of sickness as gravity reasserted itself upon her.

It felt good. The feeling reminded her of the Facility, the tests in which she had been forced to catapult herself through the portals to reach the exit. That was gone now though. She was on the other side of the hedge, and that's what mattered.

Chell shook the gun, and the portals disappeared. Better. Taking the Companion Cube – which had not offered her any congratulations – Chell began to hike towards her destination. Then she had an idea. Firing the portal gun at the large metal wall ahead, and the shifting blue portal opened up near the top of the wall. Turning back, Chell fired the counterpart portal onto the floor next to her. Sure enough, she was treated to the view from the wall, with herself in the distance gazing down. Carefully, she lowered the Companion Cube down into the portal, and watched it reappear, looking very small, half a mile away.

Chell had had no reason to test the portal – she'd never done it before. However, it didn't feel right to be using it away from its home. It was Aperture Science's most secret project – or had been. Chell did not know what technologies existed in the new world, or even how much time had passed since its first development.

Chell turned, and shook the gun. It wasn't right. She shouldn't use it to take shortcuts in the real world – it was a utility, for use when necessary, but not on a whim. The Companion Cube agreed, she thought. Turning, she began the hike towards the town. Her feet should serve her now. This was the real world.

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**Thank you! Have fun reading this latest instalment, and please keep the reviews coming. **

**~daT.**

**PS - Not my characters.**


	4. Inhibition

******Hello folks, apologies for the two day blank (still a lot quicker than many writers though, eh?). I don't particularly like this chapter, it's a bit of a filler. It was going to be quite a short chapter, but I wanted to get it to a certain point and I couldn't do it very quickly. There isn't much character development for Chell in there, but hey, the chapter does what I wanted it to do - move Chell's story on. Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming please! Not my charcters folks. Little reference to my favourite books in there - can you spot it?**

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**Inhibition**

It did not take Chell long to reach the wall, but she didn't feel any sense of achievement for having done it. The Companion Cube was downright upset for having been forced to be carried for longer. Being closer to the wall, she saw from the grass and rubble around her that what she was looking at would have been the inside of the far-facing wall from where she'd been stood by the hedge. Standing next to the wall, she would have been inside the building. Warehouse, probably, though its contents had long been removed or stolen. Chell looked around. Amongst the twisted metal, there were shards and wires that looked like they would have belonged to machinery.

Chell turned, and walked to the edge of the wall, where the corner began to connect to a second wall, but this wall had been destroyed. Jumping the low, ragged metal that would have been the base of the wall, Chell was outside of the building. If one wall and no roof made a house, that is. The Companion Cube gave Chell a mental sigh; it didn't care about her musings.

The other side of the wall was greyed, but it had not always been so. It was the grey of white paint that had been dulled by time and lack of care. Chell turned her gaze up towards the wall, and saw again the segmented circle, blazoned in cracked black paint. Slowly, she stared down at the same symbol, printed against the white of her shirt along with the words 'Aperture Laboratories'. Switching back to the wall, she squinted closely. She saw a similar message –

APE

SCIENCE

The remaining letters of Aperture were nowhere to be seen. Underneath the words had been drawn a crude face. It did not look human. Its ears were too big, its nose flattened, and it seemed to be covered in dark fur. Perhaps it was some sort of animal. It was by no means a work of art; probably sprayed on in mockery. Chell allowed herself a small sense of satisfaction, which didn't go down well with the Companion Cube. She was, she surmised, on the same side as Aperture now.

She turned, and saw.. a person. It was unexpected to say the least. Chell had not seen a person since the Bring Your Daughter To Work Day at Aperture; however long ago that was. Since then she had been sheparded around and through the facility by AIs. Of course, they were advanced to the point of human sentience, but they were robots. Machines.

Chell did not know how to react, but react she did. She crouched, brought the portal gun up and placed a portal under the feet of the man. He himself, did not react to the change in his own safety. Chell analysed him. He was old, perhaps around sixty. Late sixties. He was wearing thick leather boots, course brown trousers and a tweed jacket. On his head was a hat of the same material of his jacket. His face was old, his eyes those of a man with a conscience.

He looked slowly down at the blue oval at his feet, and then back at Chell.

"Please, reset your device. I am a farmer; I have lived here on my own since the incident. I am just gone to check my fields."

Chell looked at the man, surmising the threat he posed. She summarised the situation safe. Slowly, she shook the device, and rose again to her full height. The portal at the feet of the man winked out of existence.

"Ah, thank you", said the farmer, "Name's John. S'all I've got. M'name, m'crop and m'house. I don't know how the hells you come to be here, nobody's come out of the godforsaken place since the incident, but it's my duty to keep you good and send you on your way, as I did for the others. You don't look like t'others. All white coats and specs they were. Don't think you had it easy like them. S'at right? Wha's your name gal?"

Again, nobody had directed a question at Chell since Before. She continued to stare at the old man, and did not reply. The Companion Cube lay at her feet where it had been dropped in her surprise, and it seemed to be quivering in anticipation. After a few minutes of silence, the farmer spoke up again.

"Eh.. well, anyways. I will walk back to my house now. Comes with me and I'll have you a meal and a drink. Give you a bed for tonight, and set you on your way. Not one to interfere, I's not."

He turned, and began to walk back. He did not check whether Chell was following. Chell did not want to go with the man, but she had no choice, really. She did not know the way to anywhere, and the fact that this simple farmer was not worried by the technology she had accidentally showed to him could mean that the portal gun was old stock, familiar. She looked to the Companion Cube, and it seemed it was telling her to go.

She picked it up with the portal device, and started to follow the old man; though she made no attempt to catch up with him.

Upon reaching his house ten minutes later, she hesitated on the doorstep for a moment, unsure. The man turned back, his grey eyes meeting hers – Chell stepped inside. The man led her into a room, old but seemingly cosy.

"I have pie in the oven. There's nobody here, if you're wondering. I'm alone. Sit wherever, and I'll bring it to you soon." He told her, and walked out.

Chell stood awkwardly for a minute, then set down a disgruntled Companion Cube and sat on it. In seemingly no time a plate of hot pie was set in front of her. The man left her again. He did not seem to be comfortable in staying with her. Slowly, she ate the pie. It was good, but she could not name whatever was in it. She wondered if it was the furry creature on the Ape Science sign.

When she was finished, the farmer relieved her of her plate.

"Hope you enjoyed it" he said, and sat down.

"Look, I'm so sorry. I'm not a bad man. I lost my whole family in the incident, and I wanted to move away. They wouldn't let me though. Told me to stay here, let them know if and when anyone came out from that place. They paid me a lot of money to do it see; and I'm a poor man. Helped me scraped by enough to start the wheat field."

At this point, Chell heard a vehicle pull up outside. She stood up, fast. Her heart thudded through her chest; immediately on full alert.

"Forgive me." The man whispered, tears in his eyes.

At this moment, two men strode through the door into the room. Shades, black suits and shaven heads. On the breast of their shirt was a circle, with the bottom filled in with an irregular shape.

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**Sorry for the dodgy description of the last symbol, but if you know what I mean, feel free to review with a better description and I'll edit it in. Anyway - all will be revealed in the next chapter! Please keep reviews coming :D**

**~daT.**


	5. Black Mesa

**EDIT: Fixed Cave Johnson's death date. Thanks TheViolynist. Also found out I can edit this on my iPhone. Wonderful. **

**First off, I won't apologise for the longer intermittance (apparently not a word) between chapter updates, as I haven't received a single review for that last chapter. If there's one thong that makes a writer think that their story isn't going well, it's if people can't be bothered to review it. Perhaps you don't like the updates being so quick? Please tell me whether you prefer ASAP chapters, or gaps for a few days between updates. Review. And. Tell. Me. Please. Review the story! Thank you! **

**/Rage.**

**Perhaps this chapter isn't too interesting, though I think it is. However, a LOT of explanation goes on here, so don't skim it!**

**PS - Not my characters. Mostly.**

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**Black Mesa**

Chell was stunned. Before she had made a single move, the man to her right raised a small, pistol like object; and pressed a button on the side of the device. Immediately, Chell felt warm, and relaxed back into her chair. Her last thought was how strange it was. There had been no dart, no drugs, no anytthhh…

The light was bright. Too bright. It burned into Chell's eyes. She was sat on a bench, facing a table – on the other side of the table sat a man dressed in a crisp black suit. He looked similar to the two men that had apprehended her last night, though he was slighter in build. His clothing was identical, the symbol on his breast stark against his white shirt. However, this man was not wearing glasses.

His eyes were a perfect blue – too perfect – and his hair was black, but greying. It was spiked up erratically around his crown, a field of black spears. He was a young man, Chell guessed. There were no creases on his face that belied his age beyond that of a man between twenty and forty, perhaps. His eyes were unwavering, his gaze unblinkered.

"Welcome to Black Mesa" he said, "Your visit is unexpected, but welcome. We haven't received communication from Mr. Hunt for years. We assumed that the Aperture facilities were empty. We found nothing when we searched it after the incident."

Chell barely heard this; she was still taking in her surroundings. The room she was in was painted a pristine white, and the walls were uniformly dimpled. There was not a flat surface in the room. Thinking of flat surfaces, where was the- it was on the table in front of her. The man seemed to notice her recognition of it for the first time.

"The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. We found many files relating to it in the Aperture Facility, but no blueprint. We also found none of the devices themselves. Black Mesa investigators assumed at first, that the project to create the device had failed. However, in infiltrating further into Aperture Science databases we found evidence to the contrary. Plans to test the devices, and videos of this testing. Videos, of you."

Chell felt fear stir within her. She needed the Companion Cube to help her, she was uncomfortable, unsafe. What else did they know about her, about Aperture? Surely, it was her duty to defend Aperture? They had simply been advancing science, and GLaDOS was vulnerable without her. Her heart was beating in her chest, but tried to keep her demeanour blank. It wasn't hard.

"The final video was your completion of Test Chamber 19, which the voiceover we heard in the video told you was the last test. There was no further evidence. The dating of that file told us that it was very soon after that video was complete that the Aperture Incident occurred."

"Black Mesa decided we needed to find you, so we spent a very long time checking through all Aperture Files, and crossing them with our own. We feel we had a conclusion. It did not help us though, we could not find you. Here are the files we believe refer to you."

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NAME: Cave Johnson

POSITION: Owner/Founder of Aperture Fixtures/Science

DEATH: 1980's

FAMILY (KNOWN): Chell Johnson (CHILD)(Caroline _Surname Unknown_)

NAME: Caroline

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POSITION: Aperture Secretary

Aperture CEO

DEATH: N/A

FAMILY: Chell Johnson (CHILD)(Cave Johnson)

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"These meant little to us at first, but that Cave Johnson had had a child by his secretary. This child had then disappeared from all records. We had no evidence as to what happened to the child. Then we found this."

NAME: Doug Rattman

POSITION: Aperture Programmer

DEATH: N/A

FAMILY: Chell _Surname Redacted_ (CHILD)(ADOPTED)

"An Aperture Science Employee has an adopted daughter who shares the name of the daughter of the Aperture CEO. However, her surname has been removed from her person. Now we suspected that Cave Johnson had had his daughter Chell adopted by one of his own employees – whether he forced the child upon him or not, we do not know. We could not find further reference to the Child for a long time."

The man sat up straighter in his seat, adjusted his tie and blinked a few times, as one coming to the end of a long explanation.

"Then, Black Mesa hackers managed to break into a secret Aperture project – the GLaDOS project. We came upon lists of thousands of names, test subjects. It appeared that these test subjects were to be testing the ASHPD that we had come across earlier. The name at the top of the list? Chell. Surname Redacted. Here, see –"

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NAME: Chell [_Surname Redacted_]

COMMENTS: Test Subject rejected, is too stubborn. DO NOT TEST.

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"At this point, it was not farfetched to assume that somehow, the daughter of Cave Johnson had made her way onto the GLaDOS project, but had been rejected for testing due to stubborn personality traits. However, when our hackers looked into the history of the test subject document, we found that Chell had been moved from subject number 1496 to number one, top priority. We do not know how, or who altered this."

The man was still showing no emotion.

"And now, here you are. Chell Johnson, daughter of Cave Johnson and his Secretery Caroline, adopted daughter of Doug Rattman. What have you been through to get to us?"

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**Thank you very much for reading. On a lighter note, I've been pleased with the amount of subscriptions I've had, so at least people are reading. Thanks! **

**~daT.**


	6. Reunion

**I must say, this chapter was fairly hard to write, because I wanted to get the facts right, and realistic. However, VALVe are very vague on their timeline, so there's no definite dates. I must say I dislike this system, which is why I have included a solid date here, and I mean to go on using them. Everyone has their own opinion as to how long Chell was in stasis - I chose quite a short amount of time, as I do not want technology to have advanced too much, as it complicates the story. Thank you to the one person who reviewed, it helps keep my spirits up. Happy reading.**

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**Reunion**

There was silence for a minute. Two minutes. Three. Chell was scared – they had taken her Companion Cube, removed her ability to use her Portal Gun. There were no cards left in her hand. She needed the Companion Cube; it would protect her. It always had, right? Her heart was racing, the tension in the room was tangible.

"You gonna talk, Miss Johnson?" the man inquired, "I guess not. I mean, you never did before, did you? Says so right here in your file: subject refused to answer questions. Strange. I wonder if you can?"

Could she? Well yes, she used to be able to, and GLaDOS had told her she was able to. It had never crossed Chell's mind to answer questions, to talk to anybody. There were many questions shooting through her brain, should she ask them? It was the first time in years that Chell had felt an impulse, a need to express herself vocally. To talk.

No. She wouldn't. If Chell was going to talk, her first words should be to the Companion Cube; it was only fair. She'd get by without answers. But wasn't that one of her three points? It didn't matter, she thought. It wouldn't be fair for her to give her first words to this man.

He sighed. His blue eyes seemed to shift a little, like she had denied him a personal goal. He had really wanted her to talk. Maybe he'd put money on it with his colleagues. Well that showed him. That showed Black Mesa entirely; she would not cooperate with them, she was an Aperture employee… of sorts.

"This interview is terminated. You will be taken to a cell." Came the monotone line.

He leaned forward slightly, and made a move under the table – pressing a button, she assumed. Sure enough, the door opened and another man walked in. He wore the same suit as all the rest, but his muscles were obvious through the cloth. It was obviously a uniform, these men were not wearing them comfortably.

Chell reacted immediately, this man was all too similar to those who had captured her, brought her here. She grabbed the Portal Gun and held it close. The man also made a move towards his hip, where an all too familiar weapon was holstered.

"Whoah there Miss Johnson, we're all on the same boat here, so to speak. We're all on the same team. All working to make a better tomorrow for everyone. We'll take you to your room, whilst we work out where your place is in Black Mesa." The interviewer jumped in.

Oh really, thought Chell. A few minutes ago it was a cell, now it was her room. Well, she wasn't getting anywhere from here. She didn't know where she was in the Black Mesa Facility, nor where her Companion Cube was, nor how to get out. She had no answers. Chell needed answers, Aperture would want to know what was going on here.

There was no Aperture though. There was GLaDOS, and that was it. Not even Caroline anymore – she'd been deleted. GLaDOS, and her tests. Chell wasn't even needed for that now, she had those confounded robots, the fat one and the thin one.

Chell got up, and walked to where the man – the guard – was waiting, but she never loosened her grip on the Portal Gun. She looked up and glared at the man. He looked away, and Chell got a boost; that sort of put her above him.

"Well, um, this way Miss Johnson. I'll take you to your, ehh, room."

It was the guard this time. His voiced was deep and husky, but forced. He turned on his heel, and began to walk away. His hand also, never moved from his holstered gun.

The walls were dimpled here also, so that the Portal Gun would not work on them. She wondered if they had been built that way with the rest of the facility, or adapted just for her. _"Again, your lack of emotional response at this gesture can be put down to the fact that you are a horrible person. Just saying."_ Came the imagined voice of GLaDOS in her head.

Reaching a door along the corridor – there had been many more, were there more people trapped here, waiting to be told where their place is in Black Mesa? – Chell moved through the door as soon as the guard had unlocked it. She would not be led around like a lamb. She was a lioness, proud and in control.

She waited until the door had closed to survey her roo- cell. Next to the bed, was the Companion Cube. Charming, she'd had a room assigned to her. All the same, they'd given her back her friend. Surely that was a friendly gesture? They'd cleaned him too!

Wait- him? The Companion Cube had a gender now? Well clearly, thought Chell, everybody has a gender, and the Companion Cube is definitely part of everyone. His- no, it just wasn't right. Chell felt too strange referring to the Cube as a him. Or a her for that matter, giving that it was pink. The pastel pink tones were clear of their ugly scorch marks. The Cube was clearly happy again. It had forgiven her, she thought!

Other than the Companion Cube, there was a bed with white sheets, printed with the Black Mesa logo, a door in the corner, a desk and chair (with paper, pen and a light), and a fake pot plant in the corner. How vain, she thought, and imagined GLaDOS' remarking on her depth analysis of the plant. Was it strange that she constantly reminisced about GLaDOS? No, the Companion Cube didn't think so. Of course it wasn't strange.

Chell examined the walls. There was a digital clock built into the wall above the desk.

11:32am

Friday 13th September, 2048

Chell did not know what to make of this. The Companion Cube didn't either. She cast her mind back all those years to her original testing at Aperture. She had been twenty years old when she had destroyed GLaDOS.. but she didn't know what year that had been exactly. Around the 2020's. That would mean she would have been in stasis for about twenty years, more or less. She was around forty years old, literally, though her biological age was still back in her twenties.

Well, thought Chell. I'm a middle aged woman now, I guess. She crossed to the door in the corner of the room, and it opened easily to a bathroom, as she had guessed. Not looking too bad, am I? She directed at the Companion Cube., after gazing at herself in the mirror.

Damn, I've got more of a mid-life crisis than most, she remarked to herself. Stuck inside a Facility absolutely foreign to the one I was born to work with.

Well, it put a lot of things into perspective. Of course, she didn't know exactly how old she was, but that didn't matter really. She was around twenty years older than she had been. Around sixty years left until my skeleton will be laminated in the Aperture Laboratories, she thought – and almost smiled. Chell hadn't smiled in, well, around twenty years, and she wasn't planning on starting now.

There was a knock at the door, and Chell swept up the Portal Gun from the desk and placed herself in front of the Companion Cube. She wasn't going to lose it again, it had only forgiven her grudgingly this time.

Slowly, the door opened and a woman stepped in. She was definitely older than Chell, by about twenty to thirty years or so. Her hair was nearly wholly grey, but it was obvious that it had been black or dark brown. Her eyes were also dark, a deep brown. Her face was quite angled, and a severe expression seemed to be etched into the lines of her face, which were beginning to show her age. This was not helped by the tight bun that her hair had been tied up to, which gave a sharp, controlling impression. Chell thought, for a second, that the face was similar to her own. She chased the thought away.

After a moment of staring at Chell, the woman's face softened.

"Oh darling, I am so very sorry" the words seemed to tumble out, and Chell did not want to hear them, "we never wanted it to work out like this, we truly didn't."

Chell stared.

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**I'm sure you'll have noticed that this is the longest chapter yet, and I actually really enjoyed writing this one - I feel the story is beginning to move apace again. Please leave me some feedback :)**

**~daT.**


	7. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**This is just a note to clear up a few things I should probably have written out at the start, and I apologise profusely for giving you a chapter update for something that won't be a chapter.**

**This is only going to be a short story. I'd love to write a 75,000 word story, but I don't think this one has it in it. You may think it's awful practice, but I'm going to be honest: I'm not really planning this. I've got the ending I want to get to, and I know very vaguely the main points of the story, but I'm sort of writing it a chapter at a time. I think that it will end up between 10,000 and 20,000 words, but I don't really know. It's my first FanFic, so I'm just really seeing what I can do. I am planning to write longer novels, but I sincerely doubt it will be this one. You never know, eh?**

**This is why I so want comments on how it's going, because I really want to know what you think about it. **

**Thanks for going along with it, **

**~daT.**


	8. Bonds

**This Chapter is nearly double the length of the longest chapter so far, and I actually enjoyed writing it. It felt very natural, and the story flowed out even though I hardly planned it. Please tell me whether you like the longer chapters or not, as I've been looking at other FanFics and my chapters seemed really short in comparison. Please review! **

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**Bonds**

Chell backed away. This was the woman that she'd just found out was her birth mother, a woman that she had never met. They had barely given her an hour to digest this information before sending this woman in. Knowing the identity of her mother, and how closely she had been bound up in all of Chell's life, behind the scenes, was one thing. Being presented with that person almost immediately afterwards was another. Chell was having a bad day, in all. She'd woken up in a foreign facility, given facts about her life she'd rather not have known, then been handed a mother to deal with. She and the Companion Cube had been happy, they didn't need this.

These thoughts shot through Chell's mind like bullets, tearing open memories and feelings she'd boarded up years ago. Well, at least GLaDOS hadn't lied to her after all: she had been adopted. GLaDOS.. that was another thing. Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System – the disk containing a personality. The owner of that personality was now stood directly in front of her, and that was a test Chell never thought she would have to face. Caroline's personality had barely showed up in GLaDOS though; it had only been noticeable in her recent escapades as a potato. Summarily to this, the sector of GLaDOS where Caroline's personality was had been deleted, immediately. GLaDOS had not wanted any emotional influences; and that, thought Chell, was pretty damn sensible. Troublesome things. The Companion Cube didn't have to deal with them, why should she?

It was a bit of an enigma in all: technically, she had spent the last twenty of so years of her life in direct contact with this woman (who had spent most of it trying to kill her). However, the Caroline in front of her wouldn't have any of those memories, as they were exclusive to GLaDOS. It really was headache inducing. Chell had always assumed that Caroline's physical existence had been terminated upon being uploaded to the AI, yet here she was, plain as day.

As if reading her mind, the woman.. her mother.. Caroline spoke –

"I don't know what happened either. The last thing I remember before waking up here is what must be a few hours before I was uploaded to control the Aperture Facilities. I didn't know it was going to happen. I can't remember as it did happen either, but the people here tell me it did. I've watched your videos too. It doesn't seem to me that the AI in control maintained much of my personality."

Caroline moved forward, and sat on the bed. She reached up and pulled her hair out of the bun it was in. It flowed down past her shoulders, much like Chell's did. Slightly wavy, but controlled. She sighed, and looked up at Chell, who had retreated to the far wall by the desk along with the Portal Gun and the Cube. These were the things she cared about, and she was going to protect them.

Caroline resumed talking. "It's so strange. There seems to be about twenty years' worth of blank in my head, years that I can't account for at all. My body seems to have aged, but I've not the slightest how. I woke up here, and Black Mesa scientists had just saved my life. I had had a severe, rapid growing mesothelioma, and I'd nearly died. It was asbestos that did it, they say. I remember Cave telling me a lot of Aperture was made of Asbestos. The guys here told me the environment around here is heavily impregnated, not safe to be out in."

Chell was alarmed, she'd been exposed to this not only during the time she'd spent in the Aperture Facility, but for about twenty four hours after her escape. Wouldn't that be great, finally escaping the Facility, then dying as a result of it. Perhaps it was better than staying here.

"So if you feel bad at all, just talk to- well, get the attention of somebody here. They're good people, you know. "

Could this woman read her mind somehow? She was answering almost perfectly in sync with the questions Chell was posing in her mind. Surely it was impossible; although she didn't know how much progress Black Mesa could have made in twenty years. Chell dismissed the thought – it wasn't worth thinking about really.

"When I first found out where I was, I didn't want to stay here. All I could think was that Black Mesa was the direct enemy to Aperture. Then again though, Aperture is gone. What's the point in holding grudges, when we can all be working together for a better tomorrow? For science, Chell. For science."

Maybe this woman wasn't so different to GLaDOS after all, thought Chell. Anything for the development and improvement of science. Indeed, had she not given her own child away, because of her duty to science?

This new thought stuck Chell like a train. Not only had GLaDOS taunted Chell about being adopted; she had been the one to give her away, even if she hadn't known it. Chell had been seconded, to a job. Sure, people's careers were a big part of their lives, but who gave their own daughter away? Maybe she was just as unloved as she'd repeatedly been told she was. Chell sank down onto her knees, and hugged the Companion Cube to her body. Caroline made a move as if to come down and comfort her, then thought better of it. Good, thought Chell, I don't want that woman near me.

"There's a division in Black Mesa dedicated to trying to recreate the Portal Device now. They've not even come close. I'm sure they'd be extremely grateful if you were to cooperate with them?"

The tone of voice that Chell was hearing now was almost a question. A statement, barely daring to be a question. No way, thought Chell. You may have forgotten Aperture, but I haven't. I stand by them.

"Come. Take a walk with me, and I'll show you around. This isn't a prison you know. It's just that it's unsafe to leave. Think of this as a haven."

Chell wasn't about to cause an argument – not yet at least – so taking her Portal Gun, she rose and began to follow her mother to the door. Her gaze was that of ice. Ice unmelting – cold, hard and unforgiving.

Looking back, Caroline frowned. "For pity's sake darling, you don't need to carry that thing around with you. We're not your enemies."

No way, thought Chell. She stood, and waited for Caroline to move on. It was more of a psychological thing anyway, she mused. She knew that none of the surfaces inside the Facility would bear the portals. Giving in, Caroline moved forward. As they strolled down the corridor, she began to talk again. She's just doing it to keep herself happy, thought Chell, either that or she doesn't realise I don't want to know.

"I.. I am sorry Chell. I didn't want to have to be parted from you, but I had no choice. Your father, Cave, wasn't a bad man. I really did love him, he was a very caring man. However, that care was dedicated to science.. not yourself. In his case anyway. He loved you. That's why he had you adopted within the bounds of Aperture, so he could be close to you. At that time, he was in a development race with Black Mesa, he didn't want any distractions from his work. Please don't think badly of him.."

She trailed off, aware that her words were having no effect on Chell. Chell was just soaking up everything she said, even if there was no outward sign of this. She was going to process it all later – for now, the most important thing was observing the Black Mesa Facility, building a mental map and so on. You never knew when she was going to need it, but Chell was sure she would. It was going to be a struggle, whatever happened. If the environment was so polluted by asbestos, escaping may not be safe. Mr. Hurt the farmer had seemed perfectly well though. It was a puzzle Che;; was determined to explain.

"Black Mesa has moved on, anyway. We are now mostly focused on robotic assault and defence systems, including weaponry. This may seem like a bad thing at first glance, but I can assure you it is not. Our goal is to remove the need for a human to participate in any combat, thus keeping us all safe. The robots intelligence will be limited in personality; therefore they will not receive the psychological effects war has on humans. We at Black Mesa believe that robotics is the way forward."

She smiled, clearly getting into her stride now. She was talking on the subject she was proud of, and had knowledge in: science.

"Obviously, there are secret projects we in Black Mesa involve in, but you needn't worry about them yet. Some of them your expertise may prove very beneficial in, but you'll have to prove your commitment to science in other areas first. Perhaps, after your experience in testing for Aperture, you would relish the opportunity to help devise logic and strategic programmes for our ComBots – that's the name for the Combat Robots we're working on."

Did this woman, and Black Mesa at large, really think that Chell was simply going to slot herself into the well organised machine they ran? Who would, after what she'd been through? Then again, her mother had had quite a time as well, and she'd managed to fit in well. It was strange, someone who was so dedicated to Aperture Science, and so close to the CEO of Aperture to accept being a part of a rival company. Chell would have to analyse that.

By this time, they were passing through rooms filled with Black Mesa employees. They all looked so normal. Some of them smiled at her, and some even greeted her. Most of them were sitting at computers, or holding whispered conversations together. Was this what Aperture had been like in its prime? Alive and buzzing with a communal atmosphere. She couldn't see it – all it had ever been to her was cold, derelict and empty.

Caroline came to a stop at an open area where a group of men and women were sitting in chair, looking on to a screen where a woman was giving a presentation on what looked like a very technical design.

"This is ComBot design" whispered Caroline, "where the physical aspects of new ComBots are designed and perfected. We have to try and keep them mobile, but hard wearing enough to protect them from heavy artillery. Some of these guys are technicians as well, as they work out how to programme and utilise the strengths of each ComBot. There's lots of types you see, for reconnaissance, transport, combat and most aspects of war."

Chell found herself genuinely interested against her will. These were average people, not monsters. They were also working towards a moral goal, in her opinion. Chell had not enjoyed feeling insignificant in Aperture, and she could not imagine your average foot soldier enjoying his job. Robots didn't care, they just followed their design. Perhaps Chell could fit in here. Sure, she wasn't a programmer nor had any technical skill, but she had experience in problem solving.

Chell looked down at the device in her hand. The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. It represented her past, and what she'd always assumed was her future. Chell was here for three reasons.

To Stay Alive: This was going well. These people were not here to harm her.

To Find the Answers: Again, this wasn't going badly. She'd found out her parents' identities, and more in less than a day.

To Gain Purpose: Currently, she had none. However, working at Black Mesa to reduce the damage war has on people? That was a good enough purpose, surely.

Going on these analogies, staying at Black Mesa was a good move for Chell. What else was she going to do? She knew she wanted a purpose, and here, one was being handed to her. It was better than wandering a city, unable to communicate and searching for ways to do good.

Chell and Caroline began to move on. The woman giving the presentation sketched a small wave in their direction, and Chell nodded back. Caroline smiled.

Along a corridor, they came to an observation room. There were a few men in suits, accompanied by scientists in uniform – probably the people overseeing the project, and those working on it. They were engrossed on a room below, which they could watch from above through a full glass wall. Inside, a short, squat ComBot seemed to be comprised mostly of its two legs and four arms. There was no real discernible head or body. The terrain was very uneven, and looked rocky. There were large craters and some rises. Ruined walls and rubble also obscured vision. Placed strategically around the course were machines that slightly resembled the Aperture Science turrets; but they were more.. sciencey. Well, that was twenty years development for you.

The ComBot dropped onto all six legs like a spider, and began to scuttle forwards. It reached a low wall and a wire snaked out over the top and moved around. It was an optical sensor, Chell guessed. The turret whirred into life, and a hail of bullets struck the cable. It was battered to the side, and the ComBot quickly withdrew it. A scientist immediately checked a monitor next to him, and announced

"Extendable Optical Sensor is still functioning." A sigh of relief immediately went around his uniformed colleagues, and one of the men in jackets scribbled something down into a notepad.

The ComBot raised itself up onto two of its lower limbs, but kept a low profile behind the wall. One of its arms gripped onto the side of the wall, and using it for support, the ComBot swung around the edge of the wall, raised an arm on the opposite side, aimed at fired at the turret. There was no visible projectile, but a tannoy rang out –

"Turret Number 1, Offline."

The ComBot proceeded to pick up the now defective turret, and hold it in front of itself, like a shield. A second turret was visible at the top of a rise in the ground, and the ComBot sprinted jauntily over to a crater in the ground, executing a perfect combat roll into the depth of it.

The scientists leaned forward, as did the.. assessors? The ComBot was obviously exhibiting behaviour beyond the usual range. All eyes were fixed on the spectacle below. Suddenly, the ComBot raised itself up, and bodily threw the defunct turret with two of its arms, towards the turret above it. There was a crunch, and a monotone voice proclaimed the second turret offline.

The ComBot ascended the top of the rise, then quickly dropped down into its spider-mode again as a third and final turret sent a hail of bullets at it. A compartment in the ComBot's back opened, and a small node of metal poked out. After a second, a light on the side of it turned green, and a small rocket detached from the arm of the ComBot, and immediately flew towards the out-of-sight turret, and destroyed it. It was a violent end to an impressive demonstration.

"Turret Number 3, Offline. Light Spider Infantry ComBot Testing Successful."

There was applause and smiles all around. Chell heard compliments being passed, and conversation on how the Bot had used the destroyed turret as an improvised shield. Generally, everybody was impressed on the success shown, and how well the Bot had dealt with the situation.

"You see" said Caroline, "this is the ComBot Situation Simulation Test Department. The LSI model is our newest innovation. It took our strategy programmers a long time to work in the ability to improvise, which was shown off well here."

Chell was genuinely impressed. She was beginning to feel she could fit in here. It was a good enough reason, and it was achieving her goals. Would the Companion Cube agree? She wasn't sure. It was all beginning to build up, and Chell's insecurity was starting to take over.

Caroline seemed to tell this. "It's getting late. I'll take you back to your room and have a meal delivered. I'm sure you'll be comfortable."

They walked wordlessly back to Chell's room. Chell began to walk in, then paused at the door. She did not look back, but she heard the words.

"Goodnight, my darling."

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**Ooooooooooh. **

**Interesting eh? It was interesting to write. The characters do their own things in my head, and I just write them down. Is that weird? :P Enjoy!**

**~daT.**


	9. Smoke and Mirrors

****** So this is the first chapter for a while, but whatever, I had exams. Enjoy..**

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**Smoke and Mirrors**

Chell continued in this way for the next few days. Sometimes she was shown around by her mother, and sometimes she wandered on her own. The Black Mesa staff were kind enough to her, even if they didn't seem to want to involve with her much. They smiled at her, and greeted her if she passed. If she decided to stay and watch them, they would go about their business jerkily, like somebody being tested. Chell felt fairly comfortable. Safe. She was inside the Black Mesa Facility, and nobody was trying to kill her. The one thing that bothered her was the insistence of everybody around her to address her as 'Miss Johnson'. She was not Miss Johnson, she was Chell.

Chell stuck by what she had been told constantly, for most of her life. She had been adopted, her parents had not loved her, they had abandoned her at birth. She had recently been told – by her mother, no less – that this was not true. Chell, however, was determined not to give in so easily. She would not be manipulated by the emotions they were inspiring within her. Of course, they had told her she was not a prisoner nor less a test subject. Chell had knowledge that they wanted, though. She was certain that they had a team of psychologists dedicated to working her into submission. Chell was not going to be pushed around.

During her wanderings, Chell often saw official looking people in sharp suits and notepads. They wore small, mirrored shades that concealed their eyes. Chell had assumed that they were looking over the other Black Mesa employees, ensuring that everybody was doing as they should. But she saw them, every day. They were everywhere, always talking to the workers, even the assistants that just seemed to make drinks. Surely they did not need to keep such a strict hand over the Facility? Unfortunately, Chell had no reference point, but for the blurry memories of childhood. In running around her father's workplace.. the man who must have been Doug Rattman, she had never seen anybody constantly interviewing the workers.

Something was up, in the Black Mesa Facility. Chell started to put together the few things that had seemed strange so far.

All of the walls in the Facility had been treated against her Portal Gun.

Apparently, the world outside was too dangerous to step outside even for a walk, yet she was perfectly healthy having spent over a day exposed to the radiation that had killed her father.

The whole of the Facility she had seen seemed to be under close surveillance.

Something did not seem right to Chell. She put down her pencil – drawing was something she'd found herself spending a lot of time on since arriving in the Facility. She spent a lot of time recreating as best as she could, the psychotic murals she had found all over the Aperture Facility, in her attempts to find unthought-of ways out of the Facility. The one that had stuck in her mind the most was one of the largest. It was an image of herself, seemingly asleep, perhaps whilst she was in stasis. Chell had also drawn some pieces herself. Her own works most often showed abstract scenarios involving GLaDOS, turrets, and even Caroline.

She needed a break. A walk would clear her head a bit. She opened her door, then turned and locked it with the key she had been given only the day before – an attempt to give her some control. It didn't make much difference, as there was a window in the door to deny her absolute privacy, unless she locked herself into the bathroom. Chell knew her way around quite a large section of the Facility, but today she decided she didn't want to be watched by all the same eyes, to stand and watch the ComBot testing. She knew it was only a matter of time before she was politely required to start working here herself. What would happen if she didn't? She expected her stay would become rather unpleasant, quite quickly.

Suddenly, Chell came to a long corridor that she did not recognise. There were a few empty offices on each side, but none of them showed any signs of having been used. Coming to a T split, in the corridor, she looked left. A solid steel door had a cross of yellow and black tape across it, signifying that it was not to be used. Walking up to it, she tried the handle, but had no luck. Turning, she preceded to a door at the opposite end of the corridor she had turned into. This door had a glass window in it, but it was covered by a white page. This door too, was locked.

Chell could just make out the printed words on the page.

WARNING: OLoMII Project

Secure Area, Do NOT Enter.

Perhaps this meant nothing; but perhaps – just maybe, the Facility as she knew it was not what it seemed.

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**Thanks!**

**~daT.**


	10. OLoMII

** Wow, sorry for the very brief last chapter. It was a bit of a filler chapter, and I wanted to squeeze another chapter in before I went on holiday (I'm back now), so it ended up a bit short. This one's a fair bit longer, as will the others be, so all is good. Anyway, you might describe this as the crux of the story, so thanks for being with me, if all goes to plan it may be over in a few chapters time!**

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**OLoMII**

Chell was not happy. She had returned to her cell, and quickly ensured the Companion Cube was safe, along with her Portal Gun. The Companion Cube must have sensed her anxiety, for it seemed very glad to see her back safe. Chell was now deep in thought. Perhaps the sign she had seen on the door had been innocent, not anything to do with her. However, the fact that the door was locked and the area (she assumed it was the area she had been allowed to wander) was secure. She had been specifically told that she was allowed anywhere. Her name gave her an Access All Areas sort of pass. Yet here was a direct contradiction. The Companion Cube was also suspicious.

Chell could not let it go. For hours she tried to put it out of her head. What Black Mesa were doing was good, and they'd invited her to be a part of it. Yet they were still hiding things from her. Suddenly, a thought struck her. She had the key to her cell. Supposedly, no doors were locked outside of that. Chell was going to try and put the puzzle together. There were too many pieces out of shape. This was her test, her purpose. It was time to go. Quietly, Chell unlocked her door, picked up the Portal Gun, and used it to grasp the Companion Cube.

Moving out, Chell looked around her door. The corridor was deserted. The whole place was, probably – the scientists having gone back to their homes, rooms or wherever they slept. Still, Chell was cautious. Moving out into the room just beyond the corridor, she froze. There was indeed security. A man in black sat in a chair, facing away from her. What was he guarding? Surely there was nothing of intense value here? Perhaps it was just part of Black Mesa's rigorous security. They were of course, a huge company, supported by the government. They couldn't risk losing their secrets. With a sense of dread, suddenly Chell knew that there was only one thing in this Facility that could never get out.

Her.

The Companion Cube seemed to stir. It recognised danger, probably. Chell decided she would take no chances. The number of times Chell had needed to throw similar cubes through the air onto buttons many times during her Aperture testing. Silently, Chell swung the Portal Gun and released its hold on the Cube; which flew dejectedly through the air, and struck the man directly on the head. The Companion Cube was a fairly heavy object – Chell herself couldn't comfortably carry it, she needed the Portal Gun. Therefore, with a grunt, the man slid off of his chair onto the floor. Without bothering to move the man, Chell collected the Cube and moved on.

Chell encountered nobody else after the initial security man. The place was, as far as she could tell, deserted. Then again, she took what she knew to be the most direct route to the door, and made no attempt to root out any further resistance.

She was no stood outside the door. Or inside, depending on your perspective, and Chell definitely felt like she was trapped on the inside. However, Chell had no way through the door. Perhaps there were other ways into the area beyond, but Chell didn't know where they were and was not prepared to try and find them. She looked around her for anything that could help her get through the door – and found it in her own hand. The door was solid and wooden – she would never be able to get through it with her bare hands. Wood would never be a match for hard metal, and she had the Companion Cube: it would be of use again. Chell paused. She had no idea what she would find on the other side of the door. Perhaps the people, if there were any, would be hostile. Perhaps the area was infected with asbestos, as outside. Perhaps she was in a large complex, of which only a small part belonged down Black Mesa, and was a branch researching whatever an OLoMII was. No, that couldn't be right. Black Mesa would never run the risk of sharing a building with other businesses.

However much she disliked the name, she was Chell Johnson. Her mother Caroline was clearly high up within Black Mesa now, so surely everybody would know about her arrival. Yes, she would be safe enough. Chell didn't really believe this, but it was enough to convince her to go through the door. Raising the Portal Gun again, Chell began to batter at the door using the Companion Cube. The corner of the Companion Cube scratched, dented, splintered, and finally smashed through the door. She continued to work at the door, regardless of the noise she was making, until she had a hold she could fit through.

Moving through, Chell stopped and examined the Companion Cube. The corner she had been using to break the door was twisted and dented. It was a sorry site. She sent apologetic thoughts towards the Cube, but received nothing in return. She was sure it would understand, in time. She looked up, the walls were painted white, but more importantly, they were smooth. They would accept the Portal Gun. Chell wasted no time – she was in an area she wasn't sure she was authorised to be in, and portals were the best thing she had going for her. She fired at the wall at the very end of the corridor. Sure enough, a shifting blue portal opened, leading to nowhere. Chell opened an orange portal next to her, then stepped through –

Right into the face of a Black Mesa security guard. For a second, they both froze in shock. Chell recovered first. She pushed the security guard away, and instantly opened a blue portal beneath his feet. She saw him fall down through the now open space, and heard the thump at the other end of the corridor. Chell began to sprint away, oblivious to the fact she was leaving the Companion Cube behind her. Rounding a corner, she sped through an open door and through an empty room. Faintly, she heard a voice behind her – it was the guard, talking into some communication device! Panic spread through her. She was clearly going nowhere, and now an unknown number of armed guards would be after her. She still didn't even know whether she was allowed here or not, but she had just assaulted a Black Mesa employee. She was not in the good books.

Chell kept moving, until she came to a room filled around all four walls with screens. All of the screens were on and showing empty rooms. They were obviously security cameras, but they were showing places she recognised. On the screens around her was the entirety of the area she had come from. It must be live, as she could see the guard she had knocked out still lying on the floor. Whatever the OLoMII project was, it was all recorded on cameras, it would seem.

Suddenly, a familiar feeling came upon Chell. She felt warm and comfortable, as if nothing mattered. Sluggishly, she turned to see the guard she had tried to apprehend, pistol still pointing at her. Then she collapsed.

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When Chell woke, she was still in the television room. She was sat on a comfortable chair, facing the screens on the largest wall. The scene she saw was very different from what she expected. All of the people she had seen in the last few days – the scientists, the cleaners and the overseers – all working to remove much of the equipment. Computers, screens, phones, everything was being removed. They were all dressed in casual clothes, not the clothes of people in the workplace.

"Surprised?"

The voice had come from next to her, and Chell's head whipped round to see a man sat in a seat next to her. He was old, surprisingly so. His eyes were grey, almost colourless, and his hair seemed to be receding and thinning. His face was wrinkled as one might expect, and he seemed out of place wearing a crisp grey suit.

"I guess I'd be surprised if I saw the Facility I've been exploring for the past days being packed away by those that work in it. Their work is done, you see, as is yours. I must say you cut it all a bit short, we expected it to last longer, but no matter."

The man gave no introduction, and jumped straight into speech. He obviously knew that Chell didn't talk, because he didn't leave spaces, or pause as if waiting for a response.

"So now the game's up, and it's time for explanations. You see, your arrival at Black Mesa was most timely, and extremely convenient. I am a scientist for Black Mesa, and we had just finished building a testing area for my latest, and last, project. You arrived just in time to help out as an innocent test subject, you see. We've nothing against you personally Chell, but you worked very well to fit right in."

The man brought a tissue from his sleeve, and gently dabbed at his nose. He looked fairly frail, and Chell wondered if he wasn't ill. Perhaps he was; he was convinced that he had just finished his final project.

"You see, when we searched the Aperture Laboratories, we found reference to a GLaDOS project to create a human intelligence based AI to run the Facility. Obviously, this suited their purpose just fine. However, we at Black Mesa are dedicated to furthering science, and secondarily beating Aperture Industries. I wondered if I could create a machine that functioned as a human being in a human body, using the mind and intelligence of somebody of our choosing. This thing would blend in perfectly, and we could give it any experiences we wished, we just need the right person's mind."

The old man began to sound excited, his voice was proud. Flecks of saliva were beginning to mottle his tie.

"Thus, I names my project OLoMII, a codename like GLaDOS. This one stands for 'Organic Lifeform on Microchip Intergrated Intelligence. We placed a few of them in the test area with you, and I'm glad to tell you that they could not distinguish themselves from the other humans, they couldn't identify each other as the same thing, or separate from the humans. The most important thing though, was that the humans couldn't distinguish them. Would you like to know who they were?"

Chell's heart was racing in anticipation of what she almost knew was to come. It had been too good to be true anyway. The old man allowed himself a very small smile.

"Of course, a few of them were just scientists with intelligence we'd taken from deceased employees. The real gem though, was the Caroline OLoMII. We modelled it on a figure we thought you could accept as your mother, and it worked perfectly. You really didn't know, did you?"

This blow was just as big – worse – than learning her mother was still alive. The fact that she had been so gullible as to accept a woman she knew to be dead as her mother was ridiculous. Still, Chell felt awful that she was dead. She had formed a bond with her.. it.

"We've shut them all down now obviously. For the record, Caroline may have been your mother. The files we showed you were genuine, and related enough to piece together the story we gave you. It may have been true, it may not. Who knows! I'm sorry dear."

Well, that really stuffed up her finding the answers. What Chell had thought she knew had just been torn away from her, along with the knowledge that she never had known Caroline. Was she her mother? Surely she must have been, as the OLoMII would have been Caroline's intelligence as it had been uploaded to GLaDOS, they must have found in the Aperture Science database; and the OLoMII had recalled facts about her adoption and the man who must have been her father. Could Black Mesa have engineered these memories into her? Could they edit the intelligence, or was it true? Chell needed the Companion Cube – she had abandoned it, she remembered. Left it to the cruelty of Black Mesa; oh the poor thing! What was happening to it?

For the second time in.. not a lot of time, Chell's world went black.

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**Please review this one - the OLoMII is the ultimate idea, the driving force of the story. Is it good enough for the build up? Please tell me! Thanks¬**

**~daT.**


	11. Names To Faces

**So, this chapter was going to be longer but I decided to split it and upload this now as it was a fairly easy point to finish a chapter on and I haven't uploaded in a while (busy, obviously). I hope you're glad to see us back up. This story isn't and will not be deserted until completion. :)**

* * *

**New Faces**

Chell woke with a jump. Looking around, she saw that she hadn't moved. She was still in the room with the old man – the man who had just ripped apart her newly formed world. He was smiling faintly at her, as though slightly amused. It seemed he hadn't even bothered to move nor assist her, just waited for her to come back around. He sat up straight, and cleared his throat.

"Right, now we're being frank with each other"- Chell nearly snorted at this. It wasn't like she'd agreed to anything, to cooperate. Then again, outward emotive expression wasn't going to help her, she didn't want this man to know what she was thinking.

"Yes, now I have somebody who would very much like to meet you." He bobbed his head uneasily, "I must tell you though; he is an OLoMII now. We came upon him very soon after he had died. Perhaps if we were an hour earlier, we could have revived him. However, his brain was still functioning enough for us to, ehm, preserve his personality."

Chell shifted uneasily, she didn't want to know what was coming next. She had been knocked around too much already, she didn't know how much she could take. Surely it couldn't be Cave Johnson? Chell couldn't help but think of him as her father even after the false revelations she had been party to over the last week.

"Douglas Rattman."

Chell didn't know what to think. She hadn't even considered meeting the man who'd got her into all of the mess with Aperture Science. It just so happened that he'd helped her get out of it too, but that was beside the point.

"It's your choice Chell. You don't have to speak to him, but it's been all that he's spoken about since we woke him. If you think it'll be too painful or upsetting, we can just shut him – it – off. He'll never even know."

No. That was unfair. You couldn't deny a dead man his only wish, surely. Perhaps he'd give her some real answers; or was all of this just another test?

Chell closed her eyes, and inclined her head slightly, accepting the proposal.

"There's just one thing. He doesn't know he is an OLoMII, none of them do. We discovered in primary tests that knowing that you are partly artificial, or indeed you have been revived from death does terrible things to the mind. The OLoMII starts fighting itself, and it isn't a nice sight. Mr Rattman believes he fell unconscious after an encounter with an Aperture Science Turret, and we nursed him to health here."

The man gave a cold smile.

"Please, do not give him reason to doubt this story."

The man raised a walkie-talkie from his pocket, held the transmission button and spoke into it: "Dr Male, please bring the Rattman throught to Control Three. Thank you."

"They will be with us presently" He told Chell, as if she hadn't heard him speaking to his colleague.

Moments later, a small wicked looking man with blonde hair and teeth that seemed too sharp to be natural stepped through a door. He was thin, and his pale skin seemed to stick to his cheekbones, as if being suctioned inwards. His voice when he spoke was high and reedy, and seemed to come from somewhere in his nose rather than his voicebox.

"The Ratman"

The old man in the chair winced at this, clearly it was a nickname he'd been trying not to use around Chell, who scowled, finding herself protective of this man she had never met.

The most striking thing about the man that followed him in was his eyes. They were the most striking, piercing light blue. The sort of blue that might have been advertised for women's contact lenses. It verged on being unnatural, almost. The second thing about them was that the pupil of the right eye was significantly larger than his left, and made his eyes look altogether mismatched. His hair was black and spiky, but he lacked the moustache and beard she would have associated with a computer programmer.

He seemed very nervous, his eyes darting from the man in the chair, to Chell, to the screens on the wall then back again to Chell, where they rested, quivering.

"Welcome, Mr Rattman!

"I am glad to be able to grant you what you've been asking of us, even if it has taken a while. This is Chell, as I'm sure you know. You'll have lots to speak about. Well, you know how I mean..

"We'll leave you be now."

It was a gesture more than anything, Chell knew. There were no obvious cameras around the room, but she was sure they would be watched, recorded and listened to. It didn't matter though, really. Nothing The Ratman could say would jeopardise her. In her life up to now she had had one affiliation; Aperture Science. Aperture was gone. It didn't matter what he said about them.

As soon as the two Black Mesa employees had left the room, Rattman relaxed visibly. He seemed to become a normal person again, almost. She wouldn't have thought it if he hadn't had the name, but the man in front of her had a rat-like paranoia in unfamiliar territory.

"Chell." He began, "I have everything to apologise for. I don't know whether you know or not, but I will tell you."

His speech began to speed up, a man who wanted to get something out, spill his confession. Chell hoped he didn't want acceptance for anything. She wasn't 'on his team' as Aperture employees. Chell was on her own team with the Cube. The cube was gone though. Perhaps she shpuld side with this man, they could help each other. No! That would be betrayal! Chell had to find the Cube. That was absolute. These thought shot through Chell's mind, setting her sights. Then one last one.

It isn't even a 'he'. It's an 'it'. A Robot. Machine. Black Mesa creation. It revolted her.

"I am Douglas Rattman. I adopted you as a very young baby. By choice of course. I heard that AI.. the GLaDOS telling you you were abandoned. It's not true. Mr Johnson was forced to give you up in a way. I wasn't forced either, I chose to adopt you. I wanted to care for you, keep you near your father and mother."

His voice stuck a chord deep within Chell. He was pleading with her to understand that he had loved her. That someone had loved her; even her parents had. He seemed to feel awful that she had been told irrevocably that nobody had cared. Chell felt her barriers breaking down, and she could do nothing against it. Rattman's eyes were wide, his cheeks flushed.

"I don't know how much you remember. Probably nothing, or very little. Flashes of the past, yes? That's the neurotoxin. You were right there in GLaDOS' chamber as part of the Bring Your Daughter To Work Day. You had a near full dose of neurotoxin gas, and were lucky not to die. You lost your memory. I was in Databank Saferoom Four, I wasn't touched by the gas itself."

Why. Why her? Why had she not died when the others had? Why had she been denied that way out? Why was it her sitting there having been tested on, lied to and manipulated when it all could've been over as soon as it started?

"I knew you. I knew you could fix things, save the facility. It.. it was me. I put you up for it all. I knew you would break out – you always could. I knew you'd never just accept the tests. You managed it too, you amazing girl. "I knew you. I knew you could fix things, save the facility. It.. it was me. I put you up for it all. I knew you would break out – you always could. I knew you'd never just accept the tests. You managed it too, you amazing girl. You clever, incredible, unbelievable girl. My daughter."

That last line was almost a question, but he delivered it as a statement. She was still his daughter in his eyes. She meant something to somebody. In the bank of her mind Chell felt herself slipping away from the blank emotionless mask she had upheld. The Companion Cube.. pfft. There were many more in the storerooms. She could have another one, surely?

NO! The thought slammed into her like a train. The Companion Cube was constant. It would always be there for her. Chell closed her eyes, and drew in breath. Control. She was not losing herself to this..machine.

"You were brought back though. I don't know what sent that robot. The GLaDOS would have been in temporary shutdown. Maybe she sent for it even before you destroyed her. I went back in after you, of course. I couldn't leave you. I got you to a stasis point, but I was shot. I can't really remember it; I'm going on what I was told. I think I nearly died. Black Mesa saved me. Funny really. Ironic."

Hilarious, thought Chell. Just accepting the lies. You're a machine. Putty in their hands. They're happy to shut you off. A few electrical signals and you're gone. That's what your life means to them.

Chell had had enough. This machine had no right to mess around with her emotions like that. Even though, at the back of her mind, Chell knew that it was all true. The only machinated part of the.. person.. in front of her was his mind, which was acting just like a human's. She ignored it. She stood up, and pointed to the door. She glanced at Rattman, and wished she hadn't. She knew it would haunt her for a very long time.

Rejection. Utter, heartbreaking rejection. His eyes widened even further, and filled with tears. Within seconds they were spilling over and running down his cheeks. His hands moved to his chest, and his open mouth mimed words she would never know. He stomach wrenched, her heart ached and she felt herself take a step towards the man in front of her.

Before she could get more than a single step forwards, Rattman collapsed. She froze. Had he fainted or passed out? Probably. Or had Black Mesa seen what was happening and terminated him. Chell felt sick. Four bulky men in black onesuits entered the room, hoisted Rattman between them and marched out. Standing aside in the doorway to let them pass, was the Grey man.

He walked up to Chell and studied her.

"Mr Rattman feinted, is all. However, the severe emotional imbalance you put him through has damaged his microchip. He will need to be terminated."

He had told her what she needed to know.

Good, thought Chell. She raised a single fist and knocked him unconscious with a single blow.

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**Thanks. Please review!**

**~daT.**


	12. Author's Note (2)

**Author's Note**

**This story has been nagging at the back of my mind for a while now. It has been almost a year, I think, since I last updated it, but I don't want to be another of those authors that give up, leave their story unfinished. Of course, stories never truly end but that's not the point. I'm making this promise now, to anybody that will read it and listen: I will finish this story. I won't leave it hanging. I have a wonderful ending planned; I'm just not sure what happens between now and then. But have no fear; I'm back on-scene and I'm ready to write. That's another thing though. My writing style may have changed slightly since last year. I'll do my best for continuity's sake.**

**~daT. **


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